.........«                                          «.........
........«*                                          *«........
.......«*=                                          =*«.......
......«*=£                                          £=*«......
.....«*=£@                                          @£=*«.....
....«*=£@@                     #                    @@£=*«....
...«*=£@@#  .              .««««.               .   #@@£=*«...
..«*=£@@## . =««   «=@  the basement  @=«   ««== .  ##@@£=*«..
...«*=£@@#  .   «#«     .««««««««««.     «#«    .   #@@£=*«...
....«*=£@@                     #                    @@£=*«....
.....«*=£@                                          @£=*«.....
......«*=£  the basement is a man-made subterranean £=*«......
.......«*=  environment where you could find such   =*«.......
........«*   things as the furnace, the labyrinth,  *«........
.........«           reptiles or graves.            «.........
..........                                          ..........
..........  a small or rural basement is a cellar.  ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........«              «#«    .    «#«             «.........
........«*                                          *«........
.......«*= often created in good faith, a basement  =*«.......
......«*=£   is nevertheless a way to bring a cave  £=*«......
.....«*=£@   into your building, and cave things    @£=*«.....
....«*=£@@ with it. i've found that it's easier to  @@£=*«....
...«*=£@@#   think of all caves as the same large   #@@£=*«...
..«*=£@@##    structure, it's just that all parts   ##@@£=*«..
...«*=£@@#    might not be physically connected.    #@@£=*«...
....«*=£@@      that's what you're inviting in.     @@£=*«....
.....«*=£@                                          @£=*«.....
......«*=£                 .      .                 £=*«......
.......«*=            «#« . usages . «#«            =*«.......
........«*                 .      .                 *«........
.........«                                          «.........
..........  the purpose of a basement is often to   ..........
..........   hide unsightly appliances, engines,    ..........
..........  infrastructure (pipes and wells)... or  ..........
.........« to hide the true weight (purpose?) of a  «.........
........«*                 building.                *«........
.......«*=                                          =*«.......
......«*=£  to draw from the earth around it, push  £=*«......
.....«*=£@         above ground, laundered.         @£=*«.....
....«*=£@@                                          @@£=*«....
...«*=£@@#    a cellar is a more senseful affair,   #@@£=*«...
..«*=£@@##   less intense... made to store things   ##@@£=*«..
...«*=£@@#    (food or brews, tools) in a colder    #@@£=*«...
....«*=£@@  environment. perhaps to grow mushrooms. @@£=*«....
.....«*=£@  perhaps to bury corrupt creatures (not  @£=*«.....
......«*=£                 advised)                 £=*«......
.......«*=                                          =*«.......
........«*                                          *«........
.........«                                          «.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........